Liberals hit with big 'wake up call'

Trudeau intends to stay on, and nobody is clamouring for a coup yet, insiders say

- ALEX BALLINGALL AND TONDA MACCHARLES

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Toronto-St. Paul's Liberal candidate Leslie Church, centre, who lost Monday's byelection, greet supporters last month.

OTTAWA Justin Trudeau, the embattled prime minister and Liberal leader, appears no closer to leaving the top job than before this week's stunning byelection loss that saw his party drop a long-safe Toronto seat to Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives.

The Liberals are now grappling with the fallout of that serious blow in Toronto-St. Paul's, where the Tories dealt them their first defeat in the 416 since Trudeau became prime minister more than nine years ago, in a riding that went Liberal red in all 10 elections since 1993.

On Tuesday, Liberal MPs, cabinet ministers, staffers and party officials expressed a range of emotions at the loss: surprise, anger, even resignation that it bodes badly for the party's fortunes in the next general election. But one common thread from Liberal insiders was that they believe Trudeau intends to stay on, that the shock defeat doesn't change the support he has in the Liberal caucus and that no one is staging a coup to push him out right now.

"The prime minister is committed to leading us into the next election and he has our support," Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters Tuesday in Toronto.

In Vancouver, Trudeau shared in the disappointment that pervaded his party, but suggested he is not looking for the exit door.